On Friday 18 March 2011 07:56:38 Sean Gibbins wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> I'm not sure how newsworthy this is, but since the question of basic
> Linux training courses that crops up from time to time I thought I'd
> pass it on.
>
> It appears that the Open University are now offering a module that
> explores the basics of Linux system administration, and that can provide
> students with LPIC-1 certification as well as counting towards an OU
> degree.
I have done this course. Sysadmin doesn't feature at all. And it is nearly
useless for LPIC-1 unless you do considerable additional work.
>
> The article:
> http://lxer.com/module/newswire/view/149152/index.html
>
> The course:
> http://www3.open.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/course/t155.htm
>
> On the face of it that looks like pretty good value. I haven't got any
> experience of this particular course, but having studied other OU
> computing courses can vouch for the quality of the training materials
> and instruction.
I too have done other OU courses and found them excellent. This one is lousy.
The material is poor and full of errors and the instruction avowedly
non-existent. It is internet based and so there is no such thing
as "training materials". The first unit is simply a rehash of MS
advertisements. It is aimed very low (GCSE) - and it hits its mark!
The final test is a test of an individual's skill with graphics and WP, not
Linux. Most of the instructions are specifically for Windows computers. The
one assignment has to be handed in in MS doc format, and you are penalised if
the formatting is not to their liking. odt is not accepted, nor is pdf.
> The LPIC aspect of it is not straightforward, i.e. completion of the
> course doesn't appear to automatically provide you with certification,
> it seems it is something you need to optionally request through CompTIA*
> who are working with the OU to provide the training.
They wish! That is simply not correct!! They have negotiated a reduction in
the fee for CompTIA for those who do the course, but the voucher must be
bought immediately and used within 6 months. That is _all_ the co-operation
between them, and they even took weeks to deliver on that.
In addition, their entirely internet based course is run on so little
bandwidth that it was like being back on dial-up.
Far from being good value, it is ludicrously over-priced for what you get.
They are thinking of running another follow-on course and have asked what
support there would be. I though that you must have seen an advertisement
for that, since it may well cover sys-admin.
Anyone on this list has nothing to learn from this course, since I imagine
that all everyone here can install and use Linux. Unless you have never used
VB. You might learn something about that.
Lisi
